Scottish Secretary and defence minister to launch £250m Faslane investment
The funding for HMNB Clyde at Faslane was announced in the spending review last month and will be spent over the next three years to improve infrastructure at the site.
The upgrade will ensure the base can house the next generation of nuclear submarines.
UK Government ministers Ian Murray and Maria Eagle will visit the site on Wednesday, meeting with senior military officials, the leaders of Inverclyde and Argyll and Bute councils, and local MPs.
Scottish Secretary Mr Murray described the spending as a 'defence dividend' as he continued to talk up the economic impact of investing in the sector in Scotland, including through the Clyde 2070 programme, which will see billions pumped into the industry in the coming decades.
'With Faslane home to the nation's first and final line of defence – the UK's nuclear deterrent, it's only right that Clyde 2070 represents one of the most significant UK Government investments over the coming decades,' he said.
'It will ensure the Royal Navy can deliver the continuous at sea deterrent from a modern, efficient base which will result in a better environment for our hero submariners to live, work and train in.
'Crucially it will also create skilled jobs – including for small and medium-size firms – boost the economy and help tackle the critical skills gaps facing the country in sectors such as nuclear, construction, maritime and project management, by bringing together government, Scottish communities, industry, supply chains and academia to address the challenges.'
Defence procurement minister Ms Eagle said Scotland plays a 'crucial role' in the country's Trident nuclear deterrent, which forms the 'bedrock of the UK's defence'.
She added: 'We are today re-affirming that unshakeable commitment by launching this multibillion-pound investment to His Majesty's Naval Base Clyde, which is vital to our deterrence capability.
'The initial £250 million of funding over three years will support jobs, skills and growth across the west of Scotland.
'This Government will keep the UK safe for generations to come while delivering on the Plan for Change and making defence an engine for growth.'
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The Herald Scotland
2 hours ago
- The Herald Scotland
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Scotsman
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- Scotsman
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The Herald Scotland
3 hours ago
- The Herald Scotland
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According to the latest Scottish Government details from last year of 58 companies said to be supporting the Scots ferries' build in Turkey, just one has any Scottish connection. Norway-based Kongsberg have an agreement in place with Cemre Marin Endustri for 50 retractable fin stabilisers for the first two vessels. They have a production facility based in Dunfermline. Chris McEleny, the ex-leader of the [[SNP]] group on [[Inverclyde]] Council who has long been fighting for direct awards of ferry contracts to [[Ferguson Marine]] as well as spin-off community benefit clauses said: "The renewal of Scotland's ferry fleet should've presented a pipeline of work that would've seen the creation of 1000 jobs, seen the Clyde re-emerge as a shipbuilding powerhouse and bring the Inchgreen dry dock back into industrial use. "It is Scotland's shame that this work, and the community benefits that should've come with it have been outsourced to abroad. For decades our ships proudly carried the badge of honour 'Clyde Built'. Now they will sail under a wind of shame that says built in Turkey or built in Poland paid for by us." He added: "CMAL is only focused on the bottom line and they couldn't care less in regard to where ferries are made from. "This is the ultimate failure of Government as it is their job to see the bigger picture to ensure that when we spend millions of pounds renewing our ferry fleet that the procurement exercise builds capacity in our community by upskilling the workforce, guaranteeing apprenticeships and ensuring that Scottish suppliers receive work." Former community safety minister Ash Regan said it was "obscene that a country with a shipbuilding heritage like Scotland's is sending hundreds of millions of pounds of contracts to Turkey and Poland". This means that instead of Scotland's vast amount of public money helping to sustain, build and secure more jobs and better resilience within our own manufacturing sector the Scottish taxpayer is instead subsidising jobs overseas instead of creating them in Scotland. The Alba Edinburgh Eastern MSP added: 'This is not how to show the ambition of a country driving towards independent statehood - this is settling for the devolved disempowerment of managed decline within a failing UK. 'It seems that time and time again community benefits - which are a legal requirement - in our procurement either receive lip service or the only communities that benefit from public sector procurement are those not in Scotland.' Ministers and CMAL have previously been condemned for the lack of community benefits which are defined in the ground-breaking Procurement Reform (Scotland) Act 2014 as a "contractual requirement" relating to training and recruitment and the availability of sub-contracting opportunities. The Scottish Government in its commentary on the Act said: "Community benefits have contributed to a range of national and local outcomes relating to employability, skills and tackling inequalities by focusing on under-represented groups. The Act aims to achieve the maximum use of these requirements in public procurement." The ground-breaking Procurement Reform (Scotland) Act 2014 when it was brought in was seen by many as a welcome move away from contracts awarded only on the basis of the lowest price towards those which offer the best long-term outcomes for Scotland's communities and the environment. Public contracts valued at £4m or above have specific requirements in relation to community benefits in the authority area that a contract is issued. These should include training and recruitment, the availability of sub-contracting and supplier opportunities, and that it is intended to improve the economic, social or environmental well-being of the area. If no community benefits are sought in a contract, a statement must be published justifying the decision. CMAL has previously denied that there is a breach of procurement laws saying there was no legal requirement to consider community benefits. They have said that the Public Contracts (Scotland) Regulations requires contractors to treat economic operators "equally and without discrimination, and restricts CMAL from artificially narrowing competition by unduly favouring or disadvantaging any particular economic operator". They have said that to narrow the supply base to a particular location like Scotland could be construed as "favouring manufacturers, particularly as there is a limited supply base in Scotland, leading to potential challenge". In the initial two ferries contract award to Turkey, CMAL had invited four overseas companies to bid to build the two vessels bound for Islay - and excluded Ferguson Marine. Scottish Government-controlled Ferguson Marine, failed to get past the first Pre Qualification Questionnaire hurdle in the Islay ferries contract. CMAL said of the agreement with Norway-based Kongsberg that eight retractable fin stabilisers have so far been purchased and sourced in Scotland. A spokesperson said: "CMAL follows robust procurement process and complies with all applicable Scottish procurement law. The Procurement Reform (Scotland) Act 2014 does not legally require community benefits to be included in contracts. "However, at the SPDS [Single Procurement Document Scotland] stage of the procurement process for the small vessel replacement programme, we highlighted our commitment to community benefits, and advised yards there would be an option to include them in tender responses. None of the bidders included details of community benefits. "During contract discussions with Remontowa shipyard, two community benefits were agreed and included before signing. 'While Scottish public authorities can include social value considerations in procurements, they are not permitted to set requirements which would unlawfully discriminate against foreign shipyards and must at all times treat all bidders equally.'
